European semiconductor sales up 6.4% in January

In January, the European market grew at a rate higher than the worldwide average growth rate of 1%. On a worldwide basis, semiconductor sales in January 2021 were $40.007bn, up 1.0% versus the previous month and up 13.2% versus the same month in 2020.

Figures are based on the latest report from the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) and represent a three-month moving average.

The steady growth of the European market in January was supported by growing demand in most product categories, with discretes (+9%), sensors (+5%), and optoelectronics (+3%) performing particularly well.

In January, exchange rate effects on the European sales picture were as visible as in December 2020 when comparing market growth in Euros and in Dollars. Measured in Euro, semiconductor sales were €2.865 billion in January 2021, up 0.9% versus the previous month and down 2.1% versus the same month a year ago. On a year-to-date (YTD) basis, semiconductor sales declined by 2.4%.